PH’s pizza chain opens first Dubai branch
Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures, operator of the Philippines’ single largest brand of chained full-service restaurants, has expanded its footprint in the Middle East with the opening of its first store in Dubai.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the firm said the expansion will allow it to leverage on the large population of Filipinos in the region for future growth.
“Dubai, UAE, and the rest of the Middle East are great markets for us,” said Shakey’s President and Chief Executive Officer Vic Gregorio.
He noted that, “aside from the strong and welcoming Filipino communities which really love the Shakey’s brand and are excited about experiencing it away from home, PIZZA is also a Western concept with Western menu - thus giving us tremendous growth opportunities within the mainstream markets there.”
The new store represents the first for franchisee Aljeel Capital, a Dubai-based group, which is committed to open nine more in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over a span of five years.
“We are excited to have more stores in the UAE, with our flagship Dubai restaurant finally open and with the overwhelming turnout we had during opening night,” said Aljeel Chief Executive Officer Firas Hurieh.
He added that, “we are proud to say that our store broke several Shakey’s records on that day – the highest total net sales during opening day and the largest number of pre-sold loyalty program ‘Supercards’.”
The Philippines’ number one full-service brand drew a huge number of patrons in Dubai, with long lines and guests patiently waiting close to an hour to enter.
Located opposite Burjuman Mall and just a few steps from EXIT 4 of Burjuman Metro Station (one of the busiest stations in Dubai), the new store is strategically located and very accessible, thus attracting good traffic and high brand visibility.
It features the familiar store environment of a Shakey’s pizza parlor in the Philippines and offers the many iconic products which many Filipinos have grown to love.